The Spanish La Liga is the top tier of football in Spain and is widely regarded as one of the most competitive leagues in the world. African footballers have long competed at the highest level, impressing fans with their talents and goalscoring ability.
Although iconic names like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the scoring charts over the years, several African footballers have also left a lasting legacy on the league with impressive goalscoring records.
From former Barcelona superstar Samuel Eto’o to Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams, here are the top five African footballers who have scored the most goals in La Liga history;
Samuel Eto’o (162 goals)
Cameroonian icon Samuel Eto’o scored a total of 162 goals during his playing days in the Spanish La Liga, making him the highest scoring African player in the league’s history. The four-time CAF award winner began his career with Real Madrid before making the switch to Mallorca and then to Barcelona, where he reached limelight.
Eto’o scored 108 times in 144 La Liga matches for the Catalan giants in a very successful time at the club. He also won three league titles amongst several other laurels and was awarded the golden boot award for the 2005-06 season.
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Frederic Kanoute (89 goals)
Frederic Kanoute is famously recognized as the first player born outside Africa to claim the CAF Best Player award, but he was also a highly prolific striker during his time in Spain’s La Liga. The Mali legend scored 89 times in 209 appearances for Sevilla between 2005 and 2012.
Kanoute never lifted the league title, but was instrumental in the club’s other successes, including two Copa del Rey triumphs, one Spanish Super Cup and two UEFA Europa League title wins.
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Iñaki Williams (83 goals)
Ghana striker Inaki Williams currently ranks as the third-highest scoring African in La Liga history, but is closing in on Frederic Kanoute in second place. The 31-year-old has scored 83 goals for Athletic Bilbao since making his first-team debut in 2014.
Iñaki Williams also holds the record for the most consecutive matches played in La Liga history (251) and was appointed the first black captain in the Basque club history at the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
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Youssef En-Nesyri (69 goals)
Morocco international Youssef En-Nesyri’s goal haul of 69 from 230 appearances ranks him fourth on this list. The 28-year-old made his La Liga debut in August 2016 in the colors of Malaga, before moving to Leganes in 2018, where he won the award as the club’s player of the season in his debut season.
En-Nesyri then sealed a move to Sevilla in 2020, where he enjoyed a very impressive stint at the record UEFA Cup winners. The Moroccan striker left Spain after eight years in 2024, moving to Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Larbi Ben Barek (58 goals)
Of blessed memory, Larbi Ben Barek rounds out this list, having scored 58 goals in 114 appearances for Atletico Madrid.
The former Morocco international formed a lethal attacking partnership with the likes of Henry Carlsson and Adrian Escudero at the club and was instrumental in their back-to-back league triumphs in the 1949-50 and 1950-51 campaigns.
